Do you honestly think that if they create an high elf race they will take the same model as before ?
Of course not, they'll look like blood elves of course, but it's easy to give them some differences, more greatness.

Like with the goblins for exemple, when they became playable, their model became drastically different, and they've been deeply reworked.

they are not a new race, that doesn't mean a race that is already in game can't become a player race, blood elves and draenei already did that

they are not the same.

that last time I checked being a tauren druid did not affect how much dps you did on a boss, only being a druid and your spec did, which is unafiliated with what race you are, so to argue that race is not a costmetic choice is moot

new starting experience

In Vanilla WoW, Trolls started in the same starting zone as orcs, and gnomes started in the same starting zone as dwarves. They never needed an entirely new zone to showcase the race and they still don't after cataclysm, Blizzard Just decided to give them a slightly different spawn location on the same map when they start the game. So I honestly cannot fathom how you have overanalyzed the necessity of a starting zone for a new race.

new animations

Pandaren, case and point

new models

see above

class options

and see above again, class option distinguishment hardly matters for crap since cata added a handful of classes to the older ones, and it hardly matters since I see races as a cosmetic choice, and not a pivotal key component of gameplay.

lore figures

High Elves already have plenty of Lore figures who are still in game, and some that can be added in, there is almost no need to even create new figures for them.

integration into the greater factions

So what, they added ONE more faction you can grind to exalted, did that kill the game for you?

What I always thought is that Blizzard wanting more people playing as horde was one of the reasons blood elves went horde in the first place. We all know that most WoW players have always and to this day play humans, thus alliance. Pre-BC factions were visibly unbalanced, mostly because of humans and paladins. Thing is, if blizzard gives high elves to the alliance chances are the scale will tip in the alliance's favor again.

It probably would not be that dramatic of a horde exodus, but in any case I am all for it!

that last time I checked being a tauren druid did not affect how much dps you did on a boss, only being a druid and your spec did, which is unafiliated with what race you are, so to argue that race is not a costmetic choice is moot

Actually race choice is a rather important one when it comes to dps to be perfectly honest. To use your example a Tauren Druid when played with same gear and skill as a Troll Druid will in fact do less dps because the Troll racial which does play into the race choice so that's not a "moot" point as you put it.

As per giving the Alliance High Elves there's, imo, an issue. According to lore there is a very small amount of them left which, yes Blizzard can retcon and say oh they had a massive breeding fest which I think would be really kinda shitty. There's also the issue that technically Blood Elves are High Elves they just chose to change the name they went by and they have green eyes instead of blue. I have to agree with giving the Alliance a High Elf skin for humans would be reasonable but giving them High Elves as an actual stand alone race would and should be completely out of the picture. It would upset the already tentative balance of races between the Horde and the Alliance, because as was stated previously in the thread it would mean either the Horde gets a brand new race whether it's a variation on a current Alliance race or new all together I don't think it really matters imo.

Actually race choice is a rather important one when it comes to dps to be perfectly honest. To use your example a Tauren Druid when played with same gear and skill as a Troll Druid will in fact do less dps because the Troll racial which does play into the race choice so that's not a "moot" point as you put it.

As per giving the Alliance High Elves there's, imo, an issue. According to lore there is a very small amount of them left which, yes Blizzard can retcon and say oh they had a massive breeding fest which I think would be really kinda shitty. There's also the issue that technically Blood Elves are High Elves they just chose to change the name they went by and they have green eyes instead of blue. I have to agree with giving the Alliance a High Elf skin for humans would be reasonable but giving them High Elves as an actual stand alone race would and should be completely out of the picture. It would upset the already tentative balance of races between the Horde and the Alliance, because as was stated previously in the thread it would mean either the Horde gets a brand new race whether it's a variation on a current Alliance race or new all together I don't really matters imo.

Goblins became a playable race from a few survivors from a boat, no one cried about it, most of the peoples never thinked about it. And i'm almost sure that if some peoples would cry about high elves in the Alliance, it would only be due to a fashion which consists to say that Blizzard's work suck, whatever it is.
That's like the Death knight, almost all the players said that it was a bad idea etc ... but finally a great part of theses players has a leveled death knight, at least as an alt. Same for blood elfs, many peoples says that they are gay, ending up by making one.
Same for Pandarens.
If High-elves become a playable race, peoples will cry about the recycled BElf aspect, but they'll end up by making one and be happy.

Eye color, skin color (Blood elves tend to have brown skin due to the corruption, that's also the reason of why legion's elves have a red skin), even if the blood elves can have a very pale skin, that's what about i am talking : profit about the race rework to remove thoses pale skin colors from blood elves is a solution to increase the separation between High elves and Blood elves.
Lore wise ? Blizzard can change the lore at any time. (Even if i don't want them to)

Blood elves are biologically and physiologically high elves.[2] Courtesy of their exposure to fel magic (the practice of which spread in a similar fashion to the orcs own exposure to the substance, tainting even those in its proximity who chose not to dabble in it), the eyes of the sin'dorei now produce an emerald glow.

Wah. More Alliance whining. Par usual. How about they add Taunka? They were added to the Horde. Same movements. Just more facial hair. Would that please you?

Really? This is the basis of your argument?
I don't care much for High Elves as playable, I don't know how you can either when you start breaking out the tired old rubbish "Alliance whining". Either way, a whole lot of players do and it gives Blizz the easy job of giving the Alliance less, but giving them what they seem to want. It's remarkably little work for cdev to dump High Elves into the Alliance as a playable race and work on something new for Horde. Which just feeds a reality of the Alliance getting an after thought with respect to development while the Horde gets the real attention.

---------- Post added 2013-02-21 at 07:20 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Felarion

Yes, High Elves to the Alliance and Mok'Nathals to the Horde.

well there's a solution. Orcs with brownish skin and blood elves with blue eyes.

Honestly I think high elves seem pretty... plain? I mean, just considering we already have night elves and blood elves. Honestly I'd be a lot more excited for something new and different, but that's just mu opinion.

2) I hope blizzard decides to make all those straggling high elves rejoin the blood elves now that there is a sunwell. Then add onto the lore stating all high elves have left the alliance to join the horde. So we can put an end to these threads, and any justification for them ever going to the alliance.

2) I hope blizzard decides to make all those straggling high elves rejoin the blood elves now that there is a sunwell. Then add onto the lore stating all high elves have left the alliance to join the horde. So we can put an end to these threads, and any justification for them ever going to the alliance.

Then you'd replace them with 1238904072398723 threads about what ridiculous bullcrap came about to put High Elves in the Horde...